Spinning-spindle and support therefor



(No Model.) I

G. A. PRATT.

SPINNING SPINDLE AND SUPPORT THEREFOR. No. 408,812. Patented Aug. 13, 1889.

Z w w 5 Witnesses. G H InveuIo'v. i lfi/fl/ Clesson JL Pnmfil:

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CLESSONA. PRATT, OF FITCHBURG, MASSACHUSETTS.

SPINNING-SPINDLE AND SUPPORT THEREFOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 408,812, dated August 13, 1889.

Application filed July 18, 1888. Serial No. 280,840. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, OLEssON A. PRATT, a citizen of theUnited States,residing at-Fitchburg, in the county of lVorcester and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and use ful Improvements in Spinning-Spindles and Supports Therefor; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters and figures'of reference marked thereon,which form a part of this specification;

This invention relates to spindles for spinning cotton and the like; and the objects are to furnish a spindle that may be run wit-h little power and at a high rate of speed 5 to so construct thebearings that all wear, however slight, may be readily taken up, and to so arrange the parts that they are not liable to get out of order from carelessness in handling.

A further object attained is to make the construction as simple and inexpensive as possible and such that any part becoming worn can be easily replaced.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is an elevation, partly in section, of a spindle and bearings constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a portion of the upper part of the supporting-case carrying the bolster-bearing. Fig. 3 is a similar view of the bolster-bearing. Fig. 4 is a view of the oil-guard surrounding thespindle inside of the bolsterbearing, and Fig. 5 is atop view of the springbushing for retaining the bobbin upon the spindle.

Like letters designate corresponding parts in all of the figures.

In the drawings, A represents the support ing-case, attached to the rail of the spinningframe by means of a nut a, working in a screw-thread formed around the shank of the case, and B is the removable upper part of the case, in which the bolster-bearing of the spindle is mounted. The removable portion or casing B is in the form of a hollow nut of cylindrical form, which is attached to the bolster proper by means of a screw-thread formed around the lower portion thereof, which fits a corresponding interior screwthread in the upper end of the case. The top part of the casing B is closed by means of a nut C, fitting therein, and through this nut C and the bottom of the casing B are formed apertures Z) 0, respectively, through which the spindle S passes.

The spindle is supported in the casing by a bolster-bearing of the following description. Within the casing is the seat D, consisting of a cylindrical sleeve (1 of considerably greater diameter than the spindle and support-ed in position by an annular flange 0, extending at right angles outwardly from the lower edge thereof, and preferably closely fitting the i11- terior of the casing, upon the bottom of which it rests, and to which it is attached by means of screws or in any other suitable manner. The interior of the sleeve cl is of a little larger diameter at the top than at the bottom, forming a tapering or slightly-conical inner surface. Within this seat I), and resting against the inner tapering surface, is a bearing-sleeve E, secured to the spindle and having a downwardly-extendin g portion f, similar to the sleeve d, but of a size to fit easily therein and tapered to correspond therewith. This tapering surface forms the bearing-surface of the spindle.

The bearing-sleeve E is fitted and attached to the spindle by means of an annular flange g, formed at the upper edge of the bearing portion f, and having a sleeve h extending upwardly therefrom and fitting closely around the spindle. The nut C, forming the top of the casing B, is screwed down so as to bear against the upper surface of the flange g, and thus prevent the spindle from rising in its bearin g when in operation, the aperture in the centerof the nut being of sufficient size to allow the sleeve h to turn therein with the rotation of the spindle without contact. The interior of the casing around the outside of the sleeve 61 constitutes the oil-chamber, to which oil is supplied through the hole 2', and from which oil is supplied to the bearing-surface by means of holes jj, formed in the sleeve d. These holes j j are preferably partially plugged with leather to prevent a too abundant supply of oil to the bearing-surface.

To prevent the oil from running down the spindle below the bearing, a guard consisting of a tube F is placed between the spindle and the bearing extending upwardly within the same, and having an outside flange 71, which rests upon the bottom of the casing 13 around the spindle-aperture, by means of which it is held in place. The interior of this guard-sleeve is of sufficient size to allow the spindle to rotate freely within it without coming in contact with the sleeve, and the space within the sleeve (1 allows the tube to extend within the same without contact nearly to the horizontal flange g. The bearing-sleeve E is thus inclosed in a groove which at all times contains suflicient oil for lubricating purposes, but prevents overflow upon the spindle.

The shank of the casing A is made hollow, and in the lower end mounted the step-support G, adjustable vertically therein by means of suitable screw-threads, as at 7 Z. A nutll, mounted upon G and adapted to bear against the end of the shank, serves to hold the same firmly in position when properly adjusted.

The lower end of the spindle is supported upon the upper end of the step-support G by means of a ball-bearing I, the ends of the support and the spindle being suitably cupped to receive the same, as shown in Fig. 1 at on m. By means of the ball-bearing and the adj ustable step-support G the bearing can be adjusted to any desired height to suit the length of the spindle, and the spindle will always find its true center of rotation. The space around the spindle in the interior of the shank of the bolster forms an oil-chamber, by means of which the ball-bearing is lubricated, and the oil is supplied to this chamber by means of a duct 1:, leading from the outside of the bolster.

By means of the spherical form of the bearing the wear is equal. on all sides, and whatever wear there may be can be taken up by means of the screw-thread upon the bear ing-support G. In the same manner the wear upon the upper bearing can be taken up by tightening the nut C in the casing 13, the sleeve 71 of the bearing E having a snug fit upon the spindle, and the action of the nut being to force the sleeve downwardly upon the spindle, and the nut may then be slightly loosened to allow the spindle to rotate without excessive friction, while the parts E and l) are fitted loosely enough to admit sullicient oil between the bearing-s11 rfaces to constitute a somewhat yielding bearing. lheball-bearing I forms a step of sufficient flexibility to cause the upper end of the spindle to run true.

The whirl K is mounted upon the spindle between the two bearings, and is partiallyinclosed by the body of the supporting-case.

A spring-lmshin g L is fitted upon the spindle a short distance above the upper bearing, and serves to hold the bobbin when the spindle is in operation.

It will be seen that by the construction above described any wear of the parts can be taken up. The wear is uniform in all parts, and if any part is injured orbrokenit can be replaced at small expense. The constn'uetion of the bolster and supporting-case also permits the spindle to be removed from its bean ings without the necessity of removing the case from the spinning-frz'une.

I claim as my invention- The combination of the spindle 8, bearingsleeve E, movable vertically thereon and having horizontal flange r and dowinvardly-tapering bearing-surface the seat I), consisting of the upwardly-extending sleeve (I, hav ing tapering inner bearing-surface adapted to correspond with the bearing-sleeve E, oilguard l surrounding said spindle with in said bearing, the cylindrical case supporting said seat and oil-guard and having an oil-chamber surrounding and communicating with said bearing-surfaces, adj ustable nut (J, forming the top of. said case, a ball step-bearing I at the lower end of said spindle, step-support (l, vertically adjustable by means of screwthreads formed thereon and on. the interior of the bolster-shank, and a snpporti n g-ease A, carrying said bolster and step-bearing, substantially as and for thepurposeherein specified.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

CLESSON A. PRATT.

\\"itnesses:

JonN W. UURTT, .I. W. Mnmnon. 

